The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-02-07

other Inconvenience than that incl
dent to the roughness of the ma
terial; it was in other places difficult
or entirely impracticable, on account
of the heat and rising fumes and
steam. 1t was only a few days
since the flow had ceased, and the
cooling process had not had time to
extend much below the surface. 1t
was certain that the entire mass be-
yond depth of perhaps two or
three feet must have been in state
of incandescence. just at the top
of the slope where the writer and
others scaled the flow, there was an
opening of foot and n half or two
feet in depth, at the bottom of
which the glowing lava could be
seen of beautiful cherry red.
Thrusting in our sticks we had the
satisfaction Of obtaining the Prone
thean element direct from head
quarters. Similar openings of va
rious sizes and depths were found
in abundance so far as the lava was
examined. One party reported
having found place where every
stone they turned over was red hot
on the under side. Exploring the
flow to any great distance from the
shore was of course impossible un-
der the circumstances. Neither
muscle nor shoe-leatlier could stand
much of such travelling. Some Of
our fellow tourists, who kept on the
old pahoehoe alongside the new flow
penetrated several miles inland, but
more extended view only served
to deepen the impression of black
ness and desolation without furnish
ing any features substantially diff
erent from what had been already
seen. Steam and smoke could be
observed issuing from various points
on the surface so far as it could be
traced, until it was lost in the clouds
and mist which hung low down on
the mountain. Gradually the tired
travellers struggled back to the shore,
where the boats were in waiting,
and by noon nearly all were on
board again.
Attracted by the appearance of q
small crater-like looking opening on
a rugged point of lava jutting into
the sea, and which in addition to
emitting considerable vapor, seemed,
as seen from the steamer, to contain
fresh lava; small party of enthu-
siastic explorers, including the
writer, obtained a boat and started
ON second voyage of discovery.
On landing and examining the spot
in question, the apparent incan-
descence was found to be due to
the peculiar coloring of the rock
which lined the opening. If our ex-
pectations were disappointed in one
respect, we were at least partially
repaid by the material which had
deceived us yielding one of the
handsomest specimens that was OBJ
tained during the day. Climbing
up an elevation near by, the ascent
of which was made dillicnlt by the ex-
treme roughness as well as by the heat
and sulphurous steam, point was
reached where the remnant of vol
canic activity was as great if not
greater than at any point examined
during the day. Re-entering our
boat, we skrted the face of the flow
and picked up party of belated
travellers who signaled us from
little cove in the shore, and nearly
swamping our boat in doing so, we
returned once more to the ship.
The front of the flow where it
meets the sea was generally esti-
mated at about one mile. Some
thought it somewhat less; scarcely
any one judged it to be more. The
entire front on the sea, be III more or
less, was fresh lava. OF this there
could be no doubt. The accounts
previously published, representing
that the lava ran into the sea in two
or three distinct streams at some
distance from each other, were in
correct. Looking at the flow from
the ship it was evident that its
width at different points Of its
course had varied greatly, At one
point few miles inland, it could
be seen to have divided into two
streams which lunited again lower
down, thus encircling large island,
as it were, of green grass or other
vegetation. The total width of the
two streams, including the enclosed
island could not be estimated with
any certainty owing to the distance
being unknown and there being no
landmarks by which to measure
either distance or size. 1t was at
all events several miles,
Along the sea front the lava was
piled up to an average height of
some fifty or sixty feet, rising in
some places TO perhaps seventy-five
feet or more. This of course in
cluded the height of the old shore
line over which it poured into the
sea. As rule, the lava was rather
higher on the sea front than it was
further back, as through the cooling
which it underwent on coming in
contact with the water had acted as
Il partial check to its progress, re-
sulting in its piling up on the front
as fresh. masses we're forced along
from, behind. Along the side of the
flow, SO far as the writer followed it,
&c hoi1.ht a. hnno the. old ,nnhnohno